Clifford
Masculine · “the ford by the cliff”
Clifford is overwhelmingly a boys’ name — 188,249 boys against 2,019 girls since 1880. See Clifford as a girl name
The most conspicuous thing carrying this name is a tower in York, and it is named for a man who was hanged from it. Roger de Clifford came out on the losing side of a rebellion and was hung in chains from the walls as an example; the building has carried his name ever since, which is a grim way to be remembered.
How old is the name Clifford?
Clifford was already in use when US birth records began in 1880 — it is at least 145 years old. The typical Clifford alive today was born around 1942, making them about 83 years old. About 82,500 people named Clifford are estimated to be alive in the US today.
When was the name Clifford most popular?
Clifford peaked in 1909, reaching #57 nationally. Today it ranks #1352, 1,295 places below that high. See the whole 1909 chart.
Clifford appears on these lists:
Where it comes from
Origin, sound and short forms
The story of Clifford
The most famous woman of the name is remembered mostly through a story that is probably not true. Rosamund Clifford was a mistress of Henry the Second, died young, and was buried with honor at Godstow until a bishop had her tomb moved out of the choir on the grounds of what she had been. Everything else attached to her — the maze in the park at Woodstock built to hide her, the silken thread the queen followed to find her, the cup of poison — appears only in chronicles written long afterwards and grows more elaborate with each retelling. What is documented is a young woman, a king, and an argument about where she was allowed to be buried.
Meaning
the ford by the cliff
Two Old English elements joined, both entirely transparent. Several places carry the compound, which is why the surname is scattered across England rather than descending from a single family.
Pronouncing Clifford
KLIF-ord
Two syllables with the stress at the front. The spelling is completely unambiguous and the name is never mispronounced.
Nicknames for Clifford
Moderate
What the data says
146 years of official birth records
The long climb, and where it stands now
The same years in position rather than babies
- First recorded
- 1880
- Most boys named
- 19183,299 — the highest on record
- Peak rank
- #57reached in 1909
- Change vs 2022
- −8.6%139 in 2025, from 152
Rank is a position, a count is a headcount, and they move independently — a name can hold its rank while the number of babies behind it falls. Source: U.S. Social Security Administration.
Clifford in other languages
Strongest US states over the last decade: California, Texas, Ohio.
Cliffords among us
people named Clifford are estimated to be alive in the US today
About 1 boy in 12,288 born in 2025 was named Clifford
Estimated from SSA birth records and published actuarial life tables. Method
Is it right for you
What happens to a name after it peaks
Fashion outlook
Clifford has held the top-100 across 7 different decades — it has never depended on fashion, and names like that read the same at any age.
A scored estimate from 146 years of naming cycles — not a prophecy. Great names outlive statistics. How this is scored
Where Clifford is headed
Clifford should hold steady through 2030 — the curve is flat, and flat curves are the most predictable kind.
Medium confidence — fitted on official counts through 2025.
A damped-trend projection of the official birth data — a sketch of momentum, not a promise. Every name's forecast, ranked.
Clifford beside its neighbors
The names ranked closest to Clifford in 2025, in babies rather than position — the bars are to scale.
US boys given each name in 2025.
The trade-off
- Cliff is a short form that works in any register and at any age.
- The meaning is concrete and easy to explain to a child.
- It has held a place in American use for the whole length of the record.
- A very well-known children's character carries the name, which follows it around.
- Its peak generation is far enough back to date the name for most ears.
- The record holds girls as well, and the girl is much the smaller side.
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What they receive
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Clifford
Masculine · #1352 in the U.S.
Frequently asked
- How many Cliffords are there in the world?
- No country counts the world's names, so there is no worldwide figure — anyone quoting one is estimating. About 82,500 people named Clifford are estimated to be alive in the US today.
- How popular is the name Clifford in 2025?
- Clifford ranks #1352 among US boy names in 2025, with 139 babies given the name.
- How rare is the name Clifford?
- About 1 in every 12,288 US boys born in 2025 was named Clifford — 139 in all.
- Will my child share the name Clifford with classmates?
- Clifford will almost certainly be the only one in school.
Ranked beside Clifford
Names sitting at a similar level of popularity right now.
Vander#1352 · Jad#1352 · Lenox#1352 · Davion#1352 · Haven#1352 · Torin#1347 · Zeus#1347 · Bernardo#1347
Looking for what else is popular rather than what resembles Clifford? See the current top 100.
Choosing between Clifford and another name?
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US figures from the Social Security Administration. 1880–2025. Data & methodology
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